


Tussle

by BeardedFrog



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M, Unrequited Love, wrastlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 17:33:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3455831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeardedFrog/pseuds/BeardedFrog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The two Team Avatar members take advantage of the moment for some playful scrapping. Set in Book 3. Slice-of-life-esque one shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tussle

**Author's Note:**

> Set pre-Zaofu, around beginning of episode 2. Pretend it took much longer to get everything packed and ready.
> 
> I've always had this idea in my head Korra and Bolin would playfully wrestle whenever they got the chance. Bolin always 'read' to me as the wrestling type and Korra certainly likes to play rough, so why the heck not?
> 
> Also, when I refer to wrestling I'm talkin' about something along the vein of greco-roman wrestling (i.e. the kind that is played in most high schools and colleges at least in the US.). No chair-throwing here folks, sorry!

* * *

As negotiations between Tenzin and Republic City defense forces — all over a darn airship the forces didn't  _technically_  own — dragged to a snail's pace, the two former pro-benders were busying themselves to a match within the Meditation Pavilion. The airbender training platform was the initial spot, but was later nixed considering the amount of potential injuries. At least wood flooring provided  _slightly_  softer landing.

The two circled, a few feet from one another, barefoot. Giddy excitement crackled in the warming morning air.

The rules were simple: any form of bending was prohibited. And they had to play 'nice.'

"If you go easy on me just because it's been a while, I swear…"

"I won't, I won't," Bolin replied in a sing-song tone.

Several moments of guffaws and bluffs, Korra made her first move. Bolin's hands anchored onto her shoulders at the moment of impact, before he dove an hand under her armpit and clasped her, attempting to twist her parallel to the ground. She quickly planted her foot to counteract and pushed back, her hands trying to find purchase on the back of his tunic.

From there it, was an endless series of twisting and shoving with plenty of huffs and grunts. Rough and tumble was in his blood: Bolin may be a sensitive soul but he was not one to miss out the opportunity to show off his strength.

As kids, when they not running errands for their parents, he and Mako would pass the time (or settle a squabble) on the cramped living room floor by wrestling, trying to get one another to eat the carpet first. The odds were always an even fifty-fifty, with Mako's lankiness and flexibility winning out in some instances, or Bolin's power and endurance in others.

When they were orphaned, cooperation and teamwork were the key to their survival on the streets, given the cut-throat nature of hustling. Even later when they were graciously given work as pro-bending players, life spooled out in a breathless pace. Both brothers spent countless hours disciplining and honing their bending abilities for the tournaments one moment, and deciding whether their paycheck was enough to get them a meager supper the next.

Practicing with clay disks and weight training was fine and dandy, but it grew monotonous at times, with the repetitive motions. There was no element of surprise and unpredictability. There was no motivation to improve his reflexes. At this rate, along with Mako losing interest, Bolin was convinced his nostalgic pastime would be buried six feet under along with small, happier times of his childhood... until Korra came into the picture.

Bolin saw Korra's blue eyes darting to the side, as if something caught her attention. Knowing her bag of tricks of exploiting his occasional naivety, he threw the ball back in her court, practically bulldozing her over. She braced herself, one hand thrusting him away, the other preparing for impact.

Both very briefly floated over the ground before landing in a heap, his barrel-body figure over hers.

"Did you just airbend?!"

"Look, it was either I landed with a broken arm or —"

"You  _cheater!_ "

Korra scrambled to get out from under him, not before Bolin slipped an arm around her ribcage and flipped both of them over, her back on top of him and her wolf-tail all over his face. As they both vied for dominance — Korra successfully fending off Bolin's attempts to pin her arms to her sides as she was trapped in a headlock — a set of footsteps approached.

Both tipped their heads back; Mako stood before them, raised his hand for a casual wave, surprisingly relaxed given his usual demeanor.

"Oh hey bro," Bolin greeted, puffing Korra's hair out of his view, "did you catch whether we got the airship or not?"

Mako's brows arched. "Chief and Tenzin are back on the island. They seem to be in a good mood, so I can assume we're set."

"Nice," Korra chirped.

"Aw, sweet! I can't wait to get outta here. Any word on where we're going first?" Bolin asked.

"Last I checked, Tenzin said we will likely hit up the nearest location. We were able to pinpoint a possible air bender in an Earth Kingdom village, a half day's worth of flying, northwest. "

"Oh, I wonder— "

He was interrupted when Korra slid out of his grip and barreled into him, sending them rolling across the Pavilion floor.

"Excuse you! I was  _talking_ —"

"Since when did we announce time-outs?!" Her arms now hooked under his and pressing her knee against his bowed over back, struggling to get him down.

"Just now- _OW_ —"

He pried himself out from her grip: another blur of movement and endless rolling, their bodies thumping across the wood flooring.

There was an audible sigh as Mako turned heel to leave. "Everyone's planning to meet in the front, so head on over when you two are done." His comments, however, were lost amongst the clamor of huffing and laughter.

After what felt like an eternity, Bolin managed to pin Korra with the point of his shoulder, holding her arms behind her back, her legs trapped below one of his at an angle.

"Yield?" Bolin gloated, his voice smug.

She didn't reply. He had enough foresight to sense the calm before the storm and doubled his efforts to keep her immobilized, but not before she bucked upwards, her turn to break his grip. She slid out from under and slammed into him, knocking him flat on his back. Straddling him, Korra pinned his arms over his head, with the length of her knee and shin pressing down on his trunk.

Her face hovered a hair breadth's away from his, a fiery glint in her eyes. " _Yield_ ," she commanded. He could see the small beads of sweat on her brow.

Bolin pushed upwards to get her off, but felt an unpleasant pressure against his crotch, realizing that the instep of her foot, from the same leg keeping him down, was tactfully pressed against it.  _Oh damn her._

He surrendered, relaxing. "Alright alright, you win," he cracked a nervous grin.

Korra flashed him a victorious smirk before she flopped down beside him, her arms now limp beside his. For several moments, her long wolf-tail dusted his cheek once more as she tried to catch her own breath, her head resting on his left shoulder.

Bolin frowned, surprised she wasn't crowing about her win. A moment of inspiration and he realized this opportunity was ripe for the picking: he dug his fingers into her sides. She gasped sharply with a jolt, and tried to wriggle away from him, howling in laughter.

He wrapped a tight arm around Korra's waist, half spooning her, as the other hand continued to tickle her roughly as she squirmed. "That's what you get for cheating!"

"Leggo, leggo, leggo-!" She cried, spinning around in his grip as her hands found his head, playfully ruffling his hair, garnering a laugh from him. Bolin's tactile onslaught eventually stopped, exhaustion seeping in. Spent, Korra turned and maneuvered herself perpendicular to him, resting part of her shoulders and back of her head on his torso, rising and falling with his breathing.

He gave a huff. These were the moments he missed, the times that were a little more carefree and both of them could come down from their adrenaline-fueled high without having to be rushed. He'd be more than happy to rest a little longer, but...

"Shouldn't we go and meet up with the rest?" He propped himself up on his elbows, ready to roll up and onto his feet when Korra placed a hand on his arm, urging him to stay.

"They can wait." She sighed. Her eyes slid closed, and he understood: who knew if they were going to get this nice of a moment of respite when the team was out looking for more air benders? Bolin stayed propped, turning his focus on the cityscape across the bay. His thoughts drifted to what adventures the team would have, the people they would meet... the  _food_  they could get.

His awareness returned, and noticed Korra's hand was still on his arm. Carefully, he took her's into his, his thumb lightly rubbing her knuckles. She returned the favor, and he caught her lips twitch into a grin.

That was another perk he missed - the casual closeness. He felt a painful pang in his chest, a twist in his stomach, his coiled up emotions now having a wrestling match of their own inside. He was tempted to ask, but wouldn't dare: it would be unfair to burden her when she was already had more than enough on her plate. Besides, she seemed perfectly content just to be, well,  _single._

He swallowed the longing, thankful he had at least this moment. He pricked his ears, hearing the faint roar of the airship's engines in the distance.

"Korra?"

"Mm?" Her eyes flicked up to his.

"You think this recruiting trip is gonna be worth it?"

She squeezed his hand in response. "Yeah. I think it will be."


End file.
